Spider-Man #52

Name: Spider-Man #52
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Nov 1994 · Marvel · 1.95 USD; 2.65 CAD

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“[The Exile Returns, Part 2 of 4]: Deadline”

★ 1st appearance — Ken Ellis

About this Issue

Spider-Man #52 is the issue in which Ben Reilly — the clone of Peter Parker who had wandered in exile for five years — formally becomes the Scarlet Spider, adopting the red-and-blue hoodie costume and throwing himself into battle against Venom to prove he can be his own kind of hero. The name itself is born here: Daily Bugle reporter Ken Ellis, watching the clone save a Roosevelt Island tram from disaster, files his story and christens the wall-crawler 'the Scarlet Spider,' an identity that would define the Clone Saga's second act and eventually carry Ben all the way to a brief stint as Spider-Man himself. The issue is also the debut of two signature weapons — impact webbing and wrist stingers — that distinguished Ben's fighting style from Peter Parker's for the remainder of the saga. As the midpoint of the 'Exile Returns' four-parter, it marks the precise moment the Clone Saga shifts from reintroduction to full momentum, splitting the Spider-titles so that Ben's adventures in Web of Spider-Man and Spider-Man ran parallel to Peter's deteriorating mental state in Amazing Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man.

writer Howard Mackie · artist Tom Lyle · inker Scott Hanna · colorist Kevin Tinsley · letterer Richard Starkings · letterer Comicraft · cover Tom Lyle

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $6

CGC 9.8 · 66 in census $40

CGC 9.6 · 36 in census $20

CGC 9.4 · 15 in census $20

CGC 9.2 · 9 in census $20

CGC 9.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $20

Show all 13 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 ▾ $56.99–$100 5 listings

CGC 9.8 $56.99 CGC 9.8 · Sketch $70 CGC 9.8 $85 CGC 9.8 $95 CGC 9.8 $100

CGC 9.6 ▾ $59.99–$65 2 listings

CGC 9.6 $59.99 CGC 9.6 $65

CGC 5 $330 1 listing CGC 4 $100 1 listing CGC 3 $60 1 listing Raw — MINT $9.99 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $3.59–$9 8 listings

NM $3.59 NM $3.99 NM $3.99 NM · Variant $3.99 NM $5.99 NM · Variant $6.99 NM $8.5 NM $9

Raw — NM- ▾ $7.5–$12.99 2 listings

NM- · Newsstand $7.5 NM- · 1:25 variant $12.99

Raw — FN+ $135 1 listing Raw — GD $39.5 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $4.99–$350 13 listings

Raw / ungraded $4.99 Raw / ungraded $5 Virgin $5.9 Raw / ungraded $5.99 Raw / ungraded $6.98 Variant $9.99 Raw / ungraded $9.99 Raw / ungraded $10.31 Raw / ungraded $10.78 Virgin $17.99 Signed $49.95 Virgin $59.99 Raw / ungraded $350

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History

The Clone Saga was conceived in 1994 by Web of Spider-Man writer Terry Kavanagh, who proposed reviving the Peter Parker clone from Amazing Spider-Man #149 (1975) as a way to inject new energy into the Spider-titles ahead of Amazing Spider-Man #400. Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco green-lit the initiative with the goal of running it across all five concurrent Spider-Man books simultaneously. For this issue specifically, writer Howard Mackie and artist Tom Lyle — who also drew and designed the cover — handled the Spider-Man title's chapter of 'Exile Returns,' while editor Danny Fingeroth oversaw production. The Scarlet Spider's distinctive hoodie costume emerged from a collaborative design process: editor Danny Fingeroth asked the Spider-Man artists to create a look emphasizing functionality over flash, and Tom Lyle's 'hoodie' concept won unanimous approval among the team.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Ben Reilly operating as the Scarlet Spider (Marvel Database designation); the red bodysuit and blue sleeveless hoodie costume make their debut in action in this issue.
The name 'Scarlet Spider' is coined in this issue by Daily Bugle reporter Ken Ellis after watching Ben Reilly rescue the passengers of the Roosevelt Island tram from a three-way symbiote battle.
First full appearance of Ken Ellis, the ambitious Daily Bugle reporter who would become the Scarlet Spider's primary media chronicler throughout the Clone Saga.
First appearances of Ben Reilly's two signature custom weapons: impact webbing (web-balls that burst on contact) and wrist stingers, both developed by Ben during his five-year exile.
Written by Howard Mackie, with pencils and cover art by Tom Lyle, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Kevin Tinsley, and letters by Richard Starkings/Comicraft; edited by Danny Fingeroth.
Part 2 of the four-part 'Exile Returns' arc (Web of Spider-Man #118–119 / Spider-Man #52–53), the second major storyline of the 1994–1996 Clone Saga crossover event.
Antagonists include Venom (Eddie Brock) and the female symbiote Donna Diego (Scream), whose in-universe name Scream was not formally established until Civil War: Battle Damage Report #1.
The issue has been reprinted in at least five collected editions, including Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic #1 (2010), Venom: Separation Anxiety (2016), the Venomnibus Vol. 1 (2018), and two Venom Epic Collection volumes.